The Day Our Promise Breaks (Charles and Evelyn)

"I know you care so much for Charlie. Are you upset with me because I broke my promise to Charlie on her birthday, leaving her heartbroken?"

Since the day Charles saw Charlie's drawing of the amusement park, he'd been kicking himself for letting her down. But...

"Eve, I swear I didn't mean to bail on Charlie that day. I was already on my way to the amusement park." "But Sandy suddenly fell ill and had to be rushed to the hospital. It was a real emergency, and that's why I couldn't be there for Charlie."

"Sandy's all better now, and this kind of thing won't happen again. I promise I'll never put Charlie second to Sandy again."

Charles held out the cup he'd painstakingly put back together, trying to show he was sincere. He really wanted to make things right with Charlie and was doing his best to explain to Evelyn, hoping she'd cool down and bring Charlie back home.

What he didn't get was that his words were just making things worse for Evelyn, like rubbing salt in her wounds. Her eyes locked onto the cup in his hand, and suddenly, she reached for it.

Charles thought maybe he'd reached her, so he let her take it. He'd been up all night working on it. His voice was hoarse. "I spent the whole night on this... Tell Charlie I really like it."

"Crash-"

Before Charles could finish, Evelyn hurled the cup against the wall, her eyes blazing, "Charles, you don't deserve it!"

The cup he'd spent all night fixing was shattered again in seconds, and pieces were scattered everywhere. Charles just stood there, stunned. Evelyn didn't even look back at him as she walked away.

After her spiritual retreat, Rosa didn't head straight back to the Jenkins family home. Instead, she asked the driver to take her to the cemetery. Today marked the anniversary of her dear friend's passing. Rosa brought a bunch of her friend's favorite snacks and some fresh flowers to the gravesite. She spent some time chatting with her old friend before getting ready to leave.

On her way out, she happened to glance at a new tombstone. The photo on it

four or finowed a little girl, just

years old. Rosa paused,

feeling a tug on her

heartstrings-something about getting older made her morenoveldrama

sentimental.

"It's so sad, losing someone so young. Her parents must be crushed," Rosa sighed softly. Then she noticed the girl's name: Charlie. "Another Jenkins..."

This cemetery was known for its prime location, which made it

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expensive and exclusive. Only the wealthy or well-connected could. afford a spot here. Rosa wondered to herself why she hadn't heard about another Jenkins family losing such a young child.

As she continued on, the name Charlie kept echoing in her mind. It felt strangely familiar. As she thought about it, a memory surfaced.

She was in a hospital bed, video chatting with Evelyn, who was holding a cherubic baby. "Rosa, could you help name the baby?"

When she learned it was a girl, she had already picked out a name, so she promptly suggested, "How about Charlie? Her name could be Charlie..."

The memory shifted. She was still on a video call, but this time, it showed a sweet little girl, about two or three years old, calling her "Great Grandma..."

That face looked so familiar. Wasn't it the same one she'd just seen?

Rosa stumbled, almost collapsing in

front of the tombstone. Staring at the girl's face on the stone, she realized

this was the same child, just

a couple of years older than the one

in the video.

Suddenly, memories of the past five years filled in the gaps. Rosa's eyes welled with tears.

Charlie... Charlie... This was her great-granddaughter, Evelyn and Charles' daughter. And now, she was gone.